Cricket Term, chapters 10-12

[coughingbear]

The final section of the book - the Play, the Match, and the End. Just about in time, but my apologies that it's so late; long day at work and trouble with laptop.

Comments

What did happen to Lois Sanger?

[sprog_63]

She dies.

"They could not conceive how much it mattered.
'Oh come on, Lois! It's only a game! Not a matter of life and death.'
But they were wrong."

She goes home, and dies. I generally presume she kills herself, since dying of a broken heart is rare, but she dies: Forest says so.

Re: What did happen to Lois Sanger?

[coughingbear]

I did think about that this evening but I don't know - for one thing it seems wrong structurally after Marie's death, and for another, surely that's the kind of news that would make it back to school and therefore Old Girls?

But it would make sense of her making a not-quite-apology to Nicola.

Re: What did happen to Lois Sanger?

[sprog_63]

I agree, it is wrong structurally - but isn't playing with conventional structure a recurrent theme in these books? I wonder if that is why it has to be so oblique: having written Marie's death so powerfully, there was nowhere else to go with Lois

Re: What did happen to Lois Sanger?

[jackmerlin]

Maybe she doesn't die straight away? Maybe she goes to her PE teacher training college, maybe even gets a job. But every time something goes wrong in her life she goes back to brooding obsessively about 'that game'. No-one picks up that the brooding is a symptom of a mental disorder until one day she takes an overdose.....
I'm very impressed by your textual reading by the way. It had never before occurred to me that she actually dies, but you're right, it does say so!

[the_antichris]

but lucky because she has trained herself and her team to go after everything possible.

I adore the cricket final. I love that Lower IVA's luck is earned, I love that the Sixth is finally done in by Lois's character flaws, and I especially love Nicola being Nicola and totally unable to cope with the emotions of winning.

Would people have seen Nicola bowling Val as unsporting? Nicola sees it that way, and expects that everyone else would. But she's still fourteen to Val's... let's assume eighteen, so I doubt the spectators would have seen it in the same terms as Upper VB slaying the Seconds.

[jackmerlin]

I love that the result of the cricket match essentially comes down to character and leadership. Esther is looking nervous so Nicola gives her an encouraging smile and Esther bowls a hat-trick. Meanwhile Lois snarls at her team-mate causing her to do a 'work-to-rule', costing them a few runs, and then panics Val into doing the wrong thing. If Nicola had been captaining the Sixth, they would have won ! (although I expect Lois would have had no scruples about bowling out Val.)

[ext_195770]

I don't think it is unsporting in the context, but it makes a nice contrast with her ruthlessness towards Ginty.

[the_antichris]

I wouldn't have thought it unsporting either, not by the time of an actual Cup Final! I always wondered whether her form would have been annoyed at her for it if they'd lost, because it somehow seems like she has taken the decision on behalf of all of them to potentially lose the game, yet it's based on something kind of personal - her own ability being so much above Val's. Though I guess as captain, it is kind of her call.

-res23

[slemslempike]

I always assume Val on demos is meant to be sarcastic - they're cheering her up by imagining an unlikely future. Although perhaps her smug's service stripe was for a genuine cause that she's likely to carry on.

Belatedly, and apologies if this was previously discussed, my internet is too poor to go back and check, why can't Nicola have Lower IVa in the cup AND be on the Prospects list? Surely if she gets them further on she's even more worthy of extra coaching herself?

[coughingbear]

I think on the Cup vs being a Prospect it's just a matter of time - if Nicola is still busy coaching her form she's not really available for extra coaching.

Val

[ext_195770]

That was my thought, too: an attempt to cheer Val up by the sheer incongruity. Also, I got the impression here that the Sixth genuinely like Val; she's a bit earnest and a wee bit pompous and not up to getting social cues much (I think her alertness to "typical lower form cheek" is because she can't tell the difference between friendly teasing and actual defiance, so steps on them all), but she genuinely tries to do the right thing according to her lights (see, for example, her stepping up to the plate to call cheers for the Lower IV when Lois fails to do so). And, of course, she finally roused herself to tick Lois off for being "so obsessive about winning." Which I suspect made the more socially acute types exhale and go, "Well, if even Val's noticed..."

Which ties in with two other things, actually; first, I think that explains Nicola's sympathy in the match and it sort of links her to Ann, as someone who's appreciated more by her peers (the other Guides, in Ann's case, and Authority) than by those to whom she's in a different role

Re: Val

[coughingbear]

I think you're both right about the teasing, though the follow-up line to Jan about remaining uncommitted does suggest to me that they think there are things Val might get involved in and even march for. I agree that the rest of the Sixth seem to like her and I like her at the moment when she calls for Lower iV.A at the match.

Lawrie is Lucky but Nicola is Nicer.

[jackmerlin]

If you had just seven words to precis all ten Marlow books, you couldn't do better than Chas's saying.
It's one of my favourite bits of all the books.

Re: Lawrie is Lucky but Nicola is Nicer.

[ext_195770]

Yes; it's a splendid motto for the series.

Jan's parents / Prospero.

[jackmerlin]

It's only struck me on this readthrough that Jan plays the MAIN part in her school play and no-one comes to see her! (I suppose it's struck me more this time than it ever did as a child because I am now used to attending plays where one of my offspring is being a sheep or a frog.)
Presumably the mother is dead or disappeared, and the father lives a long way away - and that's a hell of a journey - but even so? I wonder if Janice didn't tell her father much about the play in letters home because either she knew he wouldn't be able to come and see her, or because she didn't want him to come and see her. I suppose I'm just wondering about her home life and her relationship with her father, and also her attitude to acting.
She was reluctant to be Prospero at the start, but is clearly very good at acting him. Having just been reading Vilette I can't help comparing her to Lucy Snowe who is pushed into acting a part in a play, surprises herself with the passion and ability she has in the part but is determined never to act again.

Re: Jan's parents / Prospero.

[coughingbear]

And her unobtrusive exit, not hanging around to receive endless congratulations.

We know she has at least one brother, and can quite happily contemplate working with her uncle, but I think that's all we get on her family apart from Rowan's comments.

Re: Jan's parents / Prospero.

[coughingbear]

Am reminded above that we do know from End of Term that she has three brothers and that her father is a doctor in Norfolk - not clear whether Rowan's 'surgeon in Lincolnshire' is her getting it wrong or Forest not checking; they are pretty similar after all. With four children's possible prize-givings to attend, I can see a doctor with a busy practice opting out of all.